The Venue’s Unparalleled Displays Introduced New Form of Immersive Entertainment to Audiences at Sphere’s Grand Opening in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV and Sussex, UK – October 5, 2023 – Sphere, a
next-generation entertainment medium opened to the public on Friday
September 29, 2023, ushering in the future of live entertainment. Two of
the Las Vegas venue’s signature features – its 160,000 sq. ft.
interior LED display plane, and its 580,000 sq. ft. exterior, the
Exosphere – is powered by technologies from 7thSense, a global leader
of leading-edge media serving, pixel processing, and show control
technologies.
At 16K x 16K resolution, Sphere’s interior LED display plane is the
highest-resolution LED screen in the world. Soaring to a height of 240
feet, and with over 3 acres of display surface, the screen wraps up,
over, and around the audience to create a fully immersive visual
environment. The Exosphere is the largest LED screen in the world – a
vivid canvas that has captured the world’s attention with a wide range
of artistic and branded content since debuting this summer. The size and
scale of Sphere required a playback engine like no other system in the
world. Behind the scenes at Sphere, 7thSense’s ground-breaking new suite
of products, collectively known as the ‘Performer Range,’
collaboratively breathes life into the LED displays.
“Sphere’s LED displays redefine the meaning of immersive,” said
David Dibble, CEO of MSG Ventures, a division of Sphere Entertainment.
“On the interior, never has an LED screen combined with this immense scale
and field of view with this level of clarity, while the exterior is a
dynamic canvas that has already become a new global landmark. 7thSense
has been a valued partner in delivering high-quality video playback
solutions for MSG for over a decade, and we trusted the team to work
closely with us and push their technologies even further to meet the
unique demands of Sphere. The result is an experience that takes
audiences from simply watching content on an LED screen, to feeling like
they have been transported to new places.”
Richard Brown, CTO, 7thSense said, “With the opening of Sphere in Las
Vegas, we are excited to introduce our new Performer range, including
Actor® media server, Juggler® pixel processor, and Conjurer® – our
generative media solution. Developed over several years with a focus on
the evolving landscape of video technology, and the challenging workflow
requirements associated with a media storage and playback system needed
for a project the size of Sphere, these products are intricately
designed to leverage SMPTE ST 2110 IP video streaming. The pre-rendered
content at Sphere is stored on a network-attached storage (NAS) solution
and streamed in real-time to dozens of media servers, which each output
4K video at 60 frames per second over an ST 2110 distribution network
– a world-first in terms of technology capability at this scale for a
live entertainment venue. 7thSense’s Juggler pixel processors handle
combining playback media with other video sources, such as cameras, to
create overall compositions that tell larger-than-life immersive
stories. The integration of these products into Sphere isn’t just a
step, but a leap forward in our journey of innovation. I am immensely
proud of our team and everything we have accomplished to help bring
Sphere to life.”
7thSense has worked with the team at MSG since 2011 when the
company’s award-winning-technologies were used as part of the
_Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes_ in New York.
Since then, the 7thSense and MSG collaboration has produced several
other project installations.
With many years of experience in serving pixels of high quality,
uncompressed mega canvasses, 7thSense was chosen to create a fully
redundant, mission-critical playback system capable of playing both full
resolution, uncompressed media, and generative content, in addition to
supporting live concerts and events. The 7thSense Juggler pixel
processors are critical infrastructure in the path to getting the image
to the display, so reliability is a paramount concern. The Jugglers also
provide a mechanism to bring video from external sources such as
production truck feeds into the venue.
Bryan Hinckley, CEO of 7thSense, added, “Since 2004, 7thSense has been
at the forefront of identifying and addressing inefficiencies and
challenges in managing very large video systems, consistently raising
the bar in user interaction, both for technical experts and creative
minds. We firmly believe that our team and our technologies have now
crafted a solution that will forever redefine the landscape of life
performances and immersive experiences.”
Matt Barton, Chairperson of 7thSense, reflected, “Being part of a team
that has shattered existing boundaries in immersive experiences and
entertainment is truly awe-inspiring. This remarkable achievement is the
result of years of unwavering dedication and innovation, and I extend my
heartfelt congratulations to all involved.”
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About Sphere
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the
future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists,
creators, and technologists will create extraordinary experiences that
take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both
real and imagined. The venue will host original Sphere Experiences from
leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world’s
biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue
opened in Las Vegas in September 2023 and is a new Las Vegas landmark,
powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable
audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More
information is available at thesphere.com [1].
About Sphere Entertainment Co.
Sphere Entertainment Co. (NYSE: SPHR) is a premier live entertainment
and media company. The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation
entertainment medium powered by cutting-edge technologies to redefine
the future of entertainment. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas
in September 2023. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which
operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and
MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated
streaming product, MSG+, delivers a wide range of live sports content
and other programming. More information is available at
sphereentertainmentco.com [2].
About 7thSense
7thSense is a privately owned creative software and technology company
with offices in Upper Beeding (Sussex) and London in the UK, and the Royal
Oak (Michigan), Orlando (Florida), and Burbank (California) in North
America.
Established in 2004, we are technology innovators who specialize in
pixel generation, processing, and management by providing a toolkit of
advanced products that enable storytellers worldwide to fulfill their
vision.
As a team, our dedication to performance and innovation allows us to
consistently push the limits of storytelling. https://7thsense.one/ [3]
